


A Legal Intervention

by DavidtheWriter (DavidtheTraveler)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Ending to "Selfishness vs. Selflessness", Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Manipulative Deceit Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 11:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19227949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavidtheTraveler/pseuds/DavidtheWriter
Summary: With Thomas’ admission of wanting to skip the wedding and go to the callback, and even consider lying about it to his friends, Deceit’s victory in the case seems almost assured.  Thomas’ fate now rests solely in Roman’s hands, and Roman finds himself torn between what he and Thomas both want to do and what Patton and Virgil both insist they should do.  But maybe there’s another way.  Roman considers his options, and finds himself contemplating a third path, a more…Logical path.





	A Legal Intervention

“I’m a liar.”

Thomas’ declaration seemed to echo throughout the chamber long after he’d fallen silent.  Virgil, Patton and Roman all sat in shock, trying to wrap their heads around Thomas’ admission.  Even Logan, in his seat at the rear of the chamber, seemed perturbed at the turn the proceedings had taken.

Deceit on the other hand was more than ecstatic at having finally gotten his point across.

“Ha ha!  Yes! Prosecution rests, or whatever.  Let’s just call him here and put him out of his misery.”

Prompted by Deceit’s insistence, Roman looked down at the notes in front of him.  With the defendant admitting guilt to the crimes ascribed to him by the prosecution, all that was left was for Roman as the judge to ask the jury for their verdict.  It was the logical next step in the proceedings.

_Logical next step._

Roman quickly looked up from his notes, his eyes darting back to Logan, still in the far corner of the hall.  At this point, it was probably a foregone conclusion that Virgil, as the jury, would have to concede that Thomas was guilty of what Deceit had accused him of.  But…maybe they still had a chance. A chance to make this right. But Roman couldn’t do it alone.

Crafting his plan in his mind, Roman picked up his gavel.

“I think we all need a moment to consider this turn of events.  I’m declaring a recess of fifteen minutes.” He banged the gavel once before rising from his chair.  “Logan, may I see you in my chambers?”

Logan looked up from where he was sitting, startled.  He wasn’t the only one. Patton and Virgil were looking at him in surprise, and Deceit’s face was puckered in frustration.

“Really?  You’re declaring a recess now?  Right when we’re about to get to the verdict?”

“Yes,” Roman declared back.  “I’m calling a recess. As judge, I have the authority to do so, even at this late stage of the trial.  Now, if you don’t mind, I intend to use this recess. Logan, with me please?”

“Really?” he asked, having walked up to the stand.

Roman nodded, gesturing for him to follow him through the doors into what could only be the judge’s chamber.

“Logan, I need your help,” he finally explained once the doors were closed behind them.

“My help?  With what?”

“Logan, there has to be another way.  I can’t…I can’t do this.”

Roman began to run his hands through his hair in frustration, pacing around the room.

“I don’t think you have much choice, Roman,” Logan countered, sitting in one of the chairs.  “Thomas already admitted he was willing to lie to his friends to go to the callback.”

“But he shouldn’t have to lie,” Roman shot back, turning to face Logan head on.  “This is an amazing opportunity for him. Surely if his friends knew what was at stake, they wouldn’t be upset if he decided to skip the wedding to take this chance.  As long as he explained it to them, they surely would understand. And then he wouldn’t have to lie to them about it.”

Logan frowned, furrowing his brow in confusion.  “You don’t think he should lie to his friends about this?”

“Of course not!  They’d be sure to find out sooner or later!  And then Thomas’ relationship with them would suffer, and then _Thomas_ would suffer.  You know how much his relationships with his friends mean to him.”

“But then, why did you suggest that he lie to get out of the wedding in the first place?”

“I didn’t!  I just said that Aunt Patty thing as an example of something bad happening that Thomas would get a pass for skipping, and that he should also be allowed to skip if something good happened to him, like the callback.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring as he put the pieces together as to what was really happening.

“I think I see what’s going on.  And I think I can help fix it.”

Roman stared at him for a moment, his mouth agape in shock, before a relieved grin filled his face and he fell back into the chair behind him.

“Oh, thank goodness.  But…how? How can you fix it?  You aren’t even part of the proceedings?  Uh, sorry about that,” he added.

“Actually, I believe my being removed from the proceedings has ensured that I can step in at this point to legally intervene.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes.  A legal intervention can occur at a judge’s discretion if an individual believes and can prove that their interests in the proceedings are not adequately represented by the current parties to the case.  And I can assure you, that both yours and my interests are not being properly represented here.”

“Great!  How do we do that?”

“It’s quite simple.  I will motion to intervene on the grounds that I’ve ascribed previously, and you will grant it.  Deceit will probably object, but then you can simply overrule his objection. After all, I’m as much a part of Thomas as any of the rest of us.  I have as much stake in the outcome of this trial, and should have a part in determining it.”

Roman stood from his seat.  “You’re right. And we should have included you from the beginning.  I’m sorry we didn’t.” He moved over to Logan, offering his hand to help him up.  “Do you think you could forgive me?”

Logan considered his hand for a moment.  Then smiled as he took it and allowed himself to be pulled up.  “I do. Deceit has been manipulating this whole matter to his advantage.  And all of us have been victims of it, not just myself. But no longer. Come, let’s go set things right.”

Roman returned the smile as he followed him out.

Deceit was still standing at the podium, face in one hand as he lazily drummed the fingers on the other.  Patton was sitting at the defense table, looking lost and unsure. Thomas had a nearly identical look on his face as he slouched in the witness box.  Virgil had gone so far as to pull his hood up over his head. It seemed that none of them had moved in the fifteen minutes the two of them had been gone.

But they all began to come to attention as Roman reentered the bench, though their eyes kept darting over to Logan, who was now standing beside Patton at the defense desk.

“This court is back in session,” Roman announced, banging his gavel.  “Does anyone have anything else to offer before the jury gives its verdict?”

Thomas and Patton both looked down at their laps, unable to bring themselves to speak up.  Virgil retreated further into his hood. Deceit looked at each of them in turn before starting to speak.

“Well, obviously no-“

“Actually, your honor,” Logan interjected.  “I would like to motion for a legal intervention.”

All eyes turned to Logan.  Surprise was written on every face, save Roman’s.  Then Deceit turned back to Roman, looking perturbed.

“I object to this.  There are no grounds for Logic interfering in these proceedings.”

“On the contrary,” Roman replied, “I think there’s been a fair lack of logic in these proceedings that was sorely needed.  But on the grounds of Logan intervening, there is the possibility that he doesn’t have the standing to do so. Mr. Logan, can you prove to the court that you have a reasonable case for your incorporation into this hearing?”

“I can, your honor.  Under Rule 24 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a party may motion for an intervention in a case where their interests are at stake and are not accurately represented by the parties involved in the proceedings.  As one of Thomas’ sides, my interests are as much at stake as any other side’s in this matter. Yet they have no actual representation in this matter, as neither party represents my own concerns in this case.”

Patton looked sheepish as he sunk further into his chair.  Thomas and Virgil continued to regard Logan with quizzical expressions on their faces, wondering what he might be up to.  But as far as expressions go, Deceit took the cake with his face showing equal parts shock and fury.

“He has a point, Deceit.  Objection overruled. Motion granted.”

Deceit glared up at Roman before scuttling back to the prosecutor’s desk.  Logan took his place at the podium.

“This hearing has been fraught with complicated moral questions.  From the importance of maintaining friendships through kept promises and social etiquette, to the issues of self-protection in a complicated world.  The fact of the matter is that the wedding and the callback are in conflict with each other and some solution must be found to solve this conflict.”

“But we already have a solution, Logic,” Deceit interrupted.  “We lie to them and go to the callback. That way they don’t feel bad and we get what we want.”

“But why must we lie to them?” Logan countered.  “Why not simply discuss the matter with them?”

Deceit’s human eye twitched.  Logan kept his cool façade, but internally he was smirking.  He was already chipping away at Deceit’s arguments. But Deceit wouldn’t go down so easily.

“Why don’t you ask Roman?  He was the one who suggested we lie about Aunty Patty being in the hospital to get out of the wedding.”

“Objection!  Or to be more precise, Falsehood!”

“Can you prove this?” Roman asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

“I can.”  Logan reached behind the podium, pulling out a glass orb with a summoning swoosh.  “I call into evidence Third Party’s Exhibit A: Thomas’ memory of the discussion where Deceit claims Roman made the suggestion that we lie to Lee and Mary Lee.”

“Objection!”  Deceit jumped to his feet.  “You can’t just pull up evidence like that without telling us you are.”

“You mean like you did?”

Deceit was left sputtering, trying to think of a comeback, but Roman would have none of that.

“Overruled.  Logan, you may proceed.”

“Thank you, your honor.”  He nodded, and shot the slightest hint of a smile at Roman.

“Now then, let’s see who exactly suggested we lie about this.”

He threw the orb into the air between the bench and podium, and it expanded into a glowing cloud, projecting an image of the moment in question, focusing in on Roman as he began to speak.

_“I mean…things come up, you know?  If Thomas' Aunt Patty were in the hospital, then he would get a free pass to miss the wedding.  Why should it be any different when something good comes up?”_

_Virgil shot back.  “Are you seriously siding with Deceit?”_

_“Are you seriously so close-minded to think that everything said by someone you don't like is automatically untrue?”_

Virgil tensed at that.  Hearing it again, in the quiet of the courtroom, he realized how much Roman was really saying with those words.

_“This is a big deal for Thomas! Maybe Mary and Lee will understand.”_

_Thomas butted in to correct him.  “Uh, it's actually Mary Lee and Lee.”_

_Deceit snarkily commented.  “Not confusing at all.”_

_Patton kept focusing in on Roman.  “Roman, this is their big day! We have to be there for them.”_

_Deceit countered.  “We don't have to do anything. But if you think they'd be cross about your absence I didn't mind Roman's little 'Aunt Patty in the hospital' excuse.”_

_Roman started floundering at that.  “Oh, I mean, well, I wasn't-“_

_Patton jumped in, cutting Roman off.  “No, lying is already bad enough!”_

_Deceit gasped._

_“Lying to a friend is out of the question.”_

The cloud dissipated, and Logan looked smugly around at the others.  Roman was trying his best to remain impartial, but the glimmers of self-justification were present on his face.  Thomas was now sitting up with interest, a slight hope shining in his eyes. Patton and Virgil however were looking down at their laps in guilt, realizing the conclusions they’d jumped to because of Deceit’s manipulations.  Deceit again took the cake with his sneer, his actions now clear to everyone.

“Deceit specifically worded his exchange so that we would believe that Roman had made that suggestion, ensuring that Patton and Virgil, who both stand against lying to friends, would turn against Roman and the callback.  Just as he has been manipulating this situation the entire time.”

“So, I may have been stacking the deck in my favor,” Deceit snapped.  “It still doesn’t disprove the fact that I’m here for a reason. Thomas was willing to go to the callback through deceitful means, ensuring that the societal burdens of ‘friendship’ don’t hold him back from what could be the opportunity of a lifetime.  An opportunity he wants so badly that he was willing to give into a part of himself that he keeps trying to tell himself he doesn’t have.”

Thomas shrank again at these words, but Logan wasn’t done yet.

“Do we admit that Thomas did these things?  Yes. Do we think they define his character?  No.”

Everyone’s heads shot up once again in surprise.

“Thomas is human, and therefore fallible.  He can and has done the wrong thing in the past.  To deny that it is possible is to give power to the parts of himself that desire to do so.  But that does not make him a bad person.

“Thomas wants to go to the callback, and he should be allowed to do so.  It is, after all, an amazing opportunity. But we cannot simply forget about his social obligations.  Thomas’ friends mean a great deal to him, and he hurts when they hurt. To lie to them about this would be to put a permanent scar upon his relationship with them.

“But Thomas is also a fairly good judge of character.  He specifically seeks out people for his friends who he knows to be good people.  People who care about their friends and long to see them happy, just like he does.  As hurt as they might be that Thomas would miss their wedding, would they not also understand if he explained to them about this opportunity?”

Patton and Virgil were fully sitting up now, hope finally rekindling in their eyes.  Thomas was practically smiling. Roman was outright beaming. Only Deceit looked livid at the turn of events.

“We cannot deny that Thomas is most likely guilty of everything he has been charged with.  But that does not mean he is a bad person, or that he must give up everything to make others feel better.  As with all things in society, compromise is the best course of action.

“We propose that Thomas sit down and speak with Lee and Mary Lee in the next few days.  That he explain the circumstances, perhaps even sharing some of his struggles with coming to a conclusion for this dilemma.  And then they can share their own concerns with him about his attendance at their wedding. Then all of us can come to a conclusion that makes everyone as happy as possible.  After all, if Thomas is happy about their marriage, wouldn’t they also be happy about his opportunity?”

Logan nodded his head in conclusion, moving away from the podium to stand at the defense desk with Patton, who hesitated a moment before jumping up to hug him.

“I’m sorry, Logan.  We should have included you from the start.  I don’t know what got into me.”

Logan was startled for a moment, but then stiffly returned the hug.  “It’s alright, Patton. We were all manipulated in this situation. I am glad that you recognized this mistake, and I forgive you.”

Patton merely hugged him tighter in response.

“In light of this new evidence, is the jury ready to deliver its verdict?”  Roman looked over at Virgil, who stood and nodded.

“The jury does find the defendant guilty of all charges made against him.  However, the jury also recommends leniency against him in sentencing.” Virgil looked up at Roman, his hesitant smile trying to convey more than what he’d just said.

“Very well, I hereby sentence the defendant to a lunch date and serious conversation with Lee and Mary Lee to be carried out within forty-eight hours.”

Roman banged his gavel, and with a flash they all returned to Thomas’ living room, Deceit having to jump to the side to allow Logan back in his rightful place.

“Ugh, you are all missing the point!”

“I don’t think so, Deceit,” Logan replied, turning to face him.  “We acknowledge that Thomas has the potential for deceitful actions.  Your very existence is proof of that. But we also acknowledge that such actions are usually not the best option for his wellbeing, despite some of our beliefs to the contrary.  Thomas wants what’s best for himself, but that doesn’t mean he would truly be willing to hurt others to get it.”

“Ugh, fine.  There are smarter ways of getting people to do what you want anyway.  But I’m still not going anywhere. Whether you like it or not, Thomas,” Deceit paused, pulling open his cape to reveal a logo of a yellow two-headed snake, “I will always be a part of you.”

And with that, he sunk out into the mindscape again.

“Wow, and I thought I was dramatic,” Roman quipped.

“Well, that just happened,” Thomas commented.  He still appeared shaken. “Roman, I have to thank you for that.  And you too, Logan. I’m sorry we didn’t call for you as soon as Deceit revealed that he was impersonating you.”

“Yeah, that was our bad.  I’m sorry too, specs.”

“But I’m really glad you were able to help, especially when I was no good as Thomas’ defense.”

“It is alright.  This was a complicated situation, and Deceit’s meddling certainly had us all in a difficult mindset.  And I will admit that I do still feel…bad about not being included from the start. But perhaps in the end, that was a good thing, as I was able to provide an alternative that hadn’t been considered yet.”

“I’m certainly glad you could help.  I was really not happy with how things were turning out, and I just…I knew I was going to let somebody down with my decision.  Really, you should have been the judge from the start.”

“Perhaps.  But there is nothing we can do to change that now.  Instead we must work to remember our mistakes and move forward with better understanding and clarity of thought.”

“Yeah, Princey.  I’m sorry too. I know how hard it must have been for you to feel like we were working against you.  I can’t believe I let Deceit get under my skin like that again. I’m sorry.”

“Me too, kiddo.  I let myself get so caught up in my emotions that I let him trick me into going against you on this.”

“It’s alright, guys.  I think part of me actually thought I’d suggested it as well, and that’s why I didn’t try to defend myself better.  I guess we just need to do our best to listen more to each other and make sure we’re not falsely accusing each other.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“So, I guess the lesson here is that when it comes to relationships, whenever there’s a conflict, it’s always best to talk it out in a civil and understanding way instead of an accusatory one,” Thomas concluded.  “That way, everyone has the chance to voice their concerns and the best solution for everyone can be reached.”

“Speaking of which, did I not say that you needed to talk to Lee and Mary Lee, Thomas?”

“Right, I’ll go call them right now.  The sooner we get this all straightened out, the better.”

And with the sides’ encouragement as they sunk back out, he ran to grab his phone from upstairs.  Deceit’s words still hung in his mind, and he still felt guilty about being willing to give into that part of himself.  But like Logan said, just because he had those desires didn’t mean he was a bad person. It just meant he was a person. And as long as he kept remembering that, he could strive to be as good a person as he could possibly be.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [luciferinmyhead](https://archiveofourown.org/users/luciferinmyhead/pseuds/luciferinmyhead) for reading this over for me.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a kudo or comment, or even come over and talk to me on [Tumblr](https://davidthetraveler.tumblr.com).


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